Thought for the Day

"If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others."
Tryon Edwards 

   

"We learn by teaching."
James Howell 

Reading and Drawing- a Great Relationship

Parents and teachers alike all wish to instill a love of reading in their students. But sometimes the child isn't the most willing participant. In steps a great graphic book (with kid-friendly storylines) such as Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series.  If your child hasn't seen the movie, or read the books, it's a fun-filled story of Greg Heffley, who despite all his good intentions, can't seem to break free from his wimpy persona.

To learn more about the Wimpy Kid series and learn how to draw the fun characters, check out the brief instructional video below:

 

And check out the link below for a set of 5 books in the "Wimpy Kid" series.

This Date- Ideas for Celebration

Calendars are a great way to get ideas of how to celebrate the little things with your children or kids in your classroom,  but when your free calendar only lists the major holidays, or when you forget to look up the info on the internet, a book can be a great place to look for ideas for ways to bring a little fun into what could be a boring school day. In walks the great book "On This Date: A Day-by-Day Listing of Holidays, Birthday and Historic Events, and Special Days, Weeks and Months".

If a website with the info is more your thing, consider visiting http://www.brownielocks.com/month2.html for a list of many of the major holidays for the 2013 year.

Learn Sign Language At Home

Interested in sign language? 

I've been interested in learning more about sign language ever since I learned the motions to the song "Jesus Loves Me." To that end, I joined the sign language club in high school, purposefully watched the TV shows on PBS with a sign language interpreter, and took free classes in college just to learn more. I even taught my children basic signs when they were babies, and encouraged them to watch educational sign language shows as well.

Maybe you've just become interested in sign language, or maybe you want to introduce your family or students to this form of communication. Either way, check out the some of the great resources listed in THIS ARTICLE, which can help you learn sign language in the privacy of your own home.

October is Anti-Bullying Month

Although some adults may think that bullying is a normal childhood phenomenon, but time have changed. Bullying used to be seen as a shunning on the playground, however today's youth face much more serious problems such as cyberstalking. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to prove that a bullying situation exists, that's why gathering evidence of the incidents is so important. A "bullying journal" can be just the thing to prove incidents to school or local law authorities.  So just what is a bullying journal? Check out THIS ARTICLE for more information.  

And check out the great resource below for ways to teach children about the seriousness of bullying.

Tips for Volunteering in the Classroom

Photo credit: Arvind Balaraman

Looking for a way to help your child's school teacher? Check out the article  '13 Ways to Help Your Child's Teacher' for a suggestions on how to help out in the classroom without breaking your budget or investing too much time. Cleaver lists simple suggestions such as sharpening pencils, being a book-buddy, and helping out with general organization throughout the year.

Similarly, I suggest reading the article 'Why Do You Volunteer?' to check your motives on volunteering in your Child's classroom.

Tips for the New (and Old) Teacher

Photo by

stockimages

I often contribute to a blog for the The School Box teacher supply store, and was reading their latest blog roll. In it, a teacher-writer (don't you just LOVE that combo) gives four timeless tips for the teacher just starting her journey in this crazy, yet rewarding world of teaching.  But really, the tips aren't just for the new teacher; they are a sage reminder to keep things in perspective and remember the purpose of teaching.

Check out the article "Four Timely Reminders for All Educators" on The Learning Experience blog.

Classroom Hero Giveaway {from Little Debbie}

Do you love your child's current or former teacher? Why not nominate him or her for the Little Debbie Classroom Hero Giveaway? Check out the short video below for info on how and how often to enter the giveaway:

The Secret to Great Bubbles

Bubbles are fun for the young and old alike, but have you ever really thought about bubbles for an extended period of time?

For example, have you ever wondered how to make the perfect bubble? Ever wondered why bubbles pop when they touch your skin? Ever wondered if there was a way to play with bubbles more without them popping?  

The Steve Spangler team sure has thought about bubbles a lot, and has even created a great video just about the wonders of bubbles.  Check out the video "The Science of Bubbles" below for info on why bubbles are (normally) round, how to make your own bubble solution, and just general bubble fun for everyone.

So go get your Egghead on and start playing, and most importantly keep learning!

Back-To-School Bulletin Board Ideas

Tired of the ho-hum bulletin boards you've used in your classroom year after year?  Sure, recycling is good, but so is creativity! 

Instead of posting those good but already seen bulletin boards from yester-year, spruce up your classroom with the ideas in this article I guest-wrote for The Learning Experience blog. In it you'll find ideas about how your students can get to know you as the teacher, how students can get to know each other, and a fun classroom helper board. 

Supplemental American History Curriculum with WalllBuilders

photo from nixxphotography

Do you love history? I certainly do, in fact, I majored in history in college, mostly because I loved reading about it, and also writing those papers.  One of the main reasons I chose to change my major was based upon a presentation I heard by David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to informing and educating people about America's Christian heritage. In addition the content that Barton presented, I was impressed with his conversational tone and how he peppered the material with vital information about the Christian perspective and history.

Recently I found out that WallBuilders also has curriculum for kids called “Drive Thru History America” which includes 9 DVD video lessons, a teacher guide, student textbook  and worksheets (answer keys included), along with activities and assignments. Although the video lesson are only 10 minutes each, I’m sure the curriculum would make a great supplement or addition to an existing history curriculum, or a great way to help kindle a students interest in American history.

Explore the WallBuilders website for a list of helpful links on topic such as environmental issues and historical documents, as well as books and resources that you can purchase to learn more about the rich, Christian heritage of our nation.

Grab a Good Book {at your local library, of course}

I'm often telling my kids to sit down and read a book. Thankfully I set a good example, and almost always have a book I'm reading, but how often have you heard the excuse from your child (or student) that books just aren't any fun, or that they don't enjoy reading?  I suggest showing them this vintage library poster that explains the benefits of reading in a fun way.

Taken from Flavorwire

Olympic Teaching Ideas

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Instead of the boring (and let's face it, predictable) “What I did this summer” assignment that teachers inevitably ask their students to write, why not asking students to write about the 2012 Olympics instead? 

Writing starters may include:

·      Who is your favorite Olympian and why?

·      What is your favorite Olympic sport?

Writing starters for older students may include:

·      Background history on the location of the 2012 Olympic games (What makes London so significant).

·      Research the origins of the Olympic games.

                                                                                                       

But don’t think that the Olympics only lend themselves to writing scenarios. Oh no, just think of how the math teacher can discuss ratios and odds when analyzing wins and losses. And keeping track of the number of overall wins is the perfect way to introduce (and reinforce) charts and graphs.

'Reading Rainbow' Reinvented

One of my fondest television memories involved two men- Mr. Rogers and LeVar Burton— of 'Reading Rainbow' fame.  Both aired on PBS for the duration of my young childhood, and both instilled in me a great love of books. I have such fond memories of Mr. LevVar Burton that I became a follower of his on Twitter (no, I'm not a stalker), and was thrilled to recently see that he has reinvented Reading Rainbow for this generation of youngsters, in the form of an iTunes app.


Although the regular Reading Rainbow show went off the air in 2009 due to lack of funding and contract negotiations, the basis for the app is related to the original concept. Sure, teaching children TO read is important, but it is equally as important to teach them WHY to read. The app picks up where the television show left off, helping children become interested in books and reading, while reaching their preference of the tech-savvy generation, on a tablet.

Science Resource for Kids: a Christian Perspective

As a Christian, I find it difficult to find websites and resources that don't mention the phrase "millions of years ago" when referring to animals and plant life. While I try to tune this stuff out when I watch a documentary or read a book, I realize that my children are much more impressionable, and let's just say it, naive, about what is and isn't true.


That's why I'm so happy to endorse the Answers In Genesis website geared towards kid— Kids Answers— which gives information with a Christian worldview. For example, check out this poster pdf on their website:

 

It clearly gives scientific facts, while integrating the goodness of God into the picture. OUTSTANDING!  Check out Kids Answers website for fun printables, video clips (such as the animal of the week), posters, magazines, activities and more!

Print-a-palooza with Dr. Seuss Printables

I receive the periodic email blast from Education.com and generally I look over the info, and then skip over it, but this past week's email held particular interest to me. Through the inevitable surfing that ensued on their website, I ran across a great 20 page printable Dr. Seuss workbook than I just had to share because it was SOOOOO cute.


While my children are (sadly) too old to completely enjoy this printable, it's sure to be a hit with kids ages 3-5 (or so). And includes fun drawings from the popular books, fill-in-the blank sections, matching, rhyming (of course) and comparing skills that your child just needs to know to succeed in the classroom.  So go on, follow the link to the Dr. Seuss Activity Book, and get your Seuss on!

Exciting Science

This blog — originally named "Egghead Experiments" NOW named "Egghead Education" — wished to get educators and students alike excited about learning. With that in mind, here's a cute (short) video by Steve Spangler that helps students get thinking about how variables impact results. Perfect for a science fair project, or frankly, just for fun. Check it out:

And then report your findings. What other variables can you change or use to find similar results.  

What's Your Preference? A VARK Video

If you've followed any of my tweets or my HubPages account you've probably figured out that I'm a bit obsessed with learning preferences (the ways that people like to learn). With that in mind, I recently found a cute, but cheesy, video on the differences in learning preferences, inspired by Neil Fleming's VARK theory, and a bit of super heroes.

So what's your learning style? What's your preference. Remember, no one method is better than another, it all depends upon your personality and ultimately your learning preference

Make Memories with MadLibs

Do you remember what "Mad Lib"s are? Those quirky fill-in-the-blanks style notebooks that allow the user to re-create a story using their own words and phrases? 

Recently my children were reading the back of a cereal box that had a Mad Libs style story, and I had an epiphany. Why not buy a Mad Libs book for our own use, and have some fun during meal time? It would also help reinforce language-learning concepts (such as what is a noun, adverb, adjective, etc) while fostering creativity. PLUS, creating Mad Libs could be our "thing" that let us connect with each other around the table, instead of the kids asking me (for the umpteenth time) to tell them about a story when they were babies. I went down to a school supply store, bought a thick book of 125 stories (for just $6.99!!!) and got crackin' with the family time.

In case you don't remember exactly what Mad Libs looks like (or in case you'd rather create your own stories) the following is what a Mad Libs style story about the classic nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty looks like:

   (cartoon/fictional character name)    sat on a wall,
   (same name as before)     had a    (adverb)    fall.
All the King's   (animal)    , and all the King's      (noun)    , 
Couldn't put      (same name)   together again!

My own kids re-envisioned the story this way: 

Remembering a Teacher/ Being Appreciative

I haven't seen my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Krause in over 20 years, but I still remember some things vividly about her teaching style and the kind of woman she was to her students.


One of my fondest memories of this great teacher harkens back to the last day of school, believe it or not. Instead of handing out candy to us students, something we would forget about in 5 minutes, she showed us how much she cared for us by giving us a personalized present — a certificate — to show how much we meant to her.


For more information on the story of one of my favorite teachers, and of how you can create your own certificate of appreciation for your students, check out the SchoolBox Blog.

My 5th grade class picture